This invention concerns electrically powered actuator mechanisms for automobile parking brakes in which an electrical motor is selectively activated to set or release the vehicle brakes by a control switch. Such powered parking brakes add a measure of convenience over the usual manually operated parking brakes.
However, it would be highly desirable that a manual release be incorporated as well as a powered release to allow vehicle operation in the event of failure of the powered system.
Another desirable feature would be a self adjusting mechanism which would automatically take up the brake operating cable slack, which typically will increase over time, to avoid the delay in actuating the brake which would otherwise occur. Such self adjust features have heretofore been incorporated in manually operated parking brakes but have not been incorporated in electrically actuated parking brakes.
Such self adjustment action should desirably eliminate the need for adjustment when the parking brake actuator is installed during vehicle assembly to reduce the labor involved in carrying out the installation.
Such a parking brake should itself be compact and reliable while providing these features.
The object of the present invention is to provide an electrically operated actuator mechanism for vehicle parking brakes which can electrically apply and release the brakes but which also allows a manual release of the brakes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrically powered actuator mechanism for parking brakes which incorporates a self adjustment of the brake operator cable to automatically take up any slack which develops to avoid any delay in applying the parking brake.